


so, here we are

by orphan_account



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Accidental Flirting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious, Texting, coat sharing, history major foggy, matt is blunt and a flirt, passionate Matt, stammering idiots, we are pro immigration here, you get a low self esteem! you get a low self esteem! everyone gets a low self esteem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 18:06:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Foggy Nelson was half in love with Matt Murdock. They’d never had an actual conversation, nor were they friends by any stretch of the imagination. Foggy was a history major who had decided to add a political science minor just the year before, which is how he must’ve missed Matt. But how could one miss Matt?





	so, here we are

Foggy Nelson was half in love with Matt Murdock. They’d never had an actual conversation, nor were they friends by any stretch of the imagination. Foggy was a history major who had decided to add a political science minor just the year before, which is how he must’ve missed Matt. But how could one miss Matt? He was bright, a sun, like he was on fire. He radiated, and it wasn’t just his looks, although he was admittedly good looking. No, it was his passion. Now, as a generalization, political science majors tend to be passionate, but Matt wore it like no one else. He spoke with such decisiveness, he held the ideals of justice just so damn high, defending what he believed to be true until he was told to stop by the Professor. It was bewitching to Foggy; he was sure Matt could convince someone to cut off their tongue if he wanted to. 

 

They had one elective together: American Urban Politics. Matt seemed acutely aware of the corruption which pulsed beneath New York. He seemed skeptical in nearly every politician they spoke about, always searching for something that could lead to bribes, which, admittedly,  wasn’t very hard. But if it had been just that, Foggy would’ve cared a lot less, but it wasn't just that. Matt seemed hopeful, that by ousting the corrupt, they could move forward into a better future. Foggy wondered if Matt aspired to be a politician of some sort, he’d be good at it. They never spoke rather than occasionally adding to each others comments in class. It was nice though, that was enough for Foggy. Until today, Foggy guessed. After the class disbanded, Foggy waited outside of the door, Matt was one of the last out. It wasn’t a large class, so it wasn’t exactly a long wait. He came out, his cane tapping before him, and Foggy’s mouth went dry. 

 

“Hey, Matt!” Foggy’s words came out a little too loud as he trailed behind Matt, instinctively going to touch his arm, but realizing that probably wouldn’t be the smartest move to touch someone when they’re not expecting it. Plus not everyone was fine with easy physical contact.

 

“Oh, uh, hello?” He seemed a bit taken aback, stopping and turning towards the voice, his hands wringing the beat up cane.

 

“It’s Foggy, we have American Urban Politics together.” Matt’s head tilted a bit at this, and Foggy wondered if it was possible to melt into the ground. Because he felt his cheeks heat up, maybe this was a bad idea, obviously Matt had no idea who he was. Maybe he should apologize for taking up Matt’s time, the words were on the tips of his tongue when -

 

“I thought your name was Franklin.” Foggy groaned automatically, the reaction he always had when someone outside of his family called him Franklin. But at this Matt’s eyebrows came together a bit in confusion, “I’m sorry, did I mix you up with someone?  I’m usually good with voices.”

 

“No! No, you didn’t.” If Foggy didn’t know better, he’d suspect there was amusement creeping into Matt’s face as a small smile slid into position. But Foggy did know better and it was more likely one to ensure patience or a nervous smile wondering why the hell Foggy was talking to him. “I’m not really a Franklin kind of guy, y’know. I mean it’s all so stuffy and professional and grown up. And I guess technically I am grown up, but I don’t think I’ve yet to grow into  _ Franklin  _ yet. So people just call me Foggy.” 

 

“Why not Frank?”

 

“Do I look like a Frank?” A miniscule beat. A quick pause. Long enough still that Matt is taken aback, and Foggy just realized what just came out of his mouth and to who. “ _ Oh my gosh _ . I’m so sorry. I have absolutely no filter. This isn’t how I was expecting this to go at all. Maybe I should just go. Yeah, that sounds right. If you could, I don’t know somehow wipe this from your memory, that’d be great. Either way have a good day.” And Foggy is ready to sprint as long as his body will to a bar, nevermind it’s a wednesday afternoon, before he hears Matt  just… laugh. It only makes Foggy walkaway, filled to the brim with embarrassment. Foggy is never going to talk to a human being again; screw become a professor, he’ll become a recluse who writes history textbooks or cheesy novels or some shit like that. It’s only when he’s walked a few yards and the blood isn’t thrumming so loud in his ears that he realizes Matt has been saying his name. And he just, has been walking away.

 

“Foggy, Foggy, Foggy,” It’s getting increasingly louder and Foggy is so happy their class wasn’t in the middle of a building or they’d be disrupting classes. Matt doesn’t sound annoyed, just like he’s trying to get his attention. Foggy turns around to look at him as Matt is about to cup his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. Foggy does a mini job back, which takes the breath out of him more than he thought it would, but it must tell Matt he’s back because he says in a voice that borders on hushed, “Foggy, what did you want to talk about?” And although Matt’s mouth is twisted up, it’s not cruel or mocking. 

 

“Do you want free chick-fil-a tonight?” And then Matt’s laughing again, but this time he grabs Foggy’s shoulder after a second of his hand running up Foggy’s arm, as if to prevent him from leaving.

 

“I’ve never heard that line before.” Matt says when he’s only left with the ghost of laughter in his voice.

 

“Oh my god, I don’t think I can speak around you. I meant, my club is having an activity tonight. Alexander Hamilton Society. We’re having an event tonight, and it’s about immigration. We always advertise with free food because that seems to convince college kids but that topic also seemed up your ally. And I thought in class, ‘oh! I should let Matt know.’ And so here we are.”

 

“Here we are.”   
  


“Here we are.”

“Do you wanna tell me what time or where this is happening? Because you’re right, it is up my ally.”

  
  
  


Foggy sits in front of the conference rooms, dressed in a patterned button up that Marci swore was him but didn’t make him look dorky. He’s manning the table which keeps track of attendance and also acts as a greeter of sorts. He likes this job, he had been President last year, and he thought it’d been too stressful. Now as a senior though, he can’t act as President, but he still does the odd jobs no one wants. He smiles and meets everyone and asks them to put their ID number into the computer. Matt appears a minute before the whole shindig is supposed to kick off. He’s dressed differently than he was in class. He looks like he’d been rushed which makes sense, but his hair is sticking up in odd places, his glasses a bit askew. And he’s wearing, well, he’s wearing a grey tank top that shows off arms Foggy didn’t even suspect to be so defined. He wears sweatpants and ratty sneakers. It’s not professional at all, and he imagines the two of them standing together, what they’d look like. But then again, Matt didn’t have to dress nice. Hell, Matt didn’t dress nice, and he still looks ten times better than Nelson.

 

“Matt! You made it.” Matt’s body turns to the table, as Foggy stands up. Foggy is smiling, he hadn’t realized that. But looking at Matt, well, how could he help it. He hears it in his voice too, no faux cheer, genuine happiness. 

 

“Sorry, am I late? I got distracted at the gym and when I checked the time, I realized I only had a few minutes.”

 

“No, no, you’re right on time. I was about to go in actually. We can go in together, if you’d like? I mean I can help find a free seat for you and pick up whatever food you want since we don’t have braille tags for them.” Foggy wasn’t about to go in actually. He was going to stay out until five minutes into the debate, but hell, who cares about five minutes. 

 

“I’d love that actually. Do you mind giving me your arm?” Matt asks, not overtly coyly but not completely devoid of that trait either. His smile is wide toothed, his canines looking especially  sharp and white, like that of a fox. Foggy has the odd feeling he is prey in that minute, but he doesn’t care enough to restrain. Matt Murdock could eat him whole for all of he cared. Hell, he’d enter the lions den gladly. He loops his arm into Matt’s, stopping only outside of the door. 

 

“Oh, we have wraps, salads, and chicken nuggets. Which would you like?” He’s trying hard not to drool over the arms which were God like and not note how Matt was a few inches taller than him. The man looked like the greats had sculpted him. How even in this state of dishevelment, he looked moderately composed. He wondered what Matt would looked like wrecked, suddenly, and he tried to push that thought out. Because wow not appropriate.  

 

Matt leaned down a bit, “I’m fine with whatever,” Matt looked like he knew something Foggy didn’t. He looked like the cat who got the cream. It made Foggy gulp before nodding and sneaking into the back of the room.  He then went and got a bit everything as well as a cup filled with lemonade.

 

The event went better than ever, it was amazing. And it wasn’t because the speakers were especially interesting. A few minutes in, Matt made a comment about something one of them had said, and it was so blunt, Foggy had to stifle a laugh. And apparently content with that response, Matt continued to offer such comments, some funny, some some serious, all sharp as hell.

  
  


“So, what’d you think?” Foggy inquired afterwards, although he had been getting Matt’s thoughts throughout the debate.

 

“I think there are too many people scared of the wrong thing. That immigrants are being used as a scapegoat, that there are fear mongering tactics that are infecting this country.” Matt sounded like he was in his own world for a second before turning to Foggy, “what did you think?”

 

“I agree completely; I couldn’t have said it better. I mean, immigrants have accounted for ⅔ of economic growth in the past eight years, so this whole rhetoric that they’re damaging the U.S. economy is literally just racism dressed up in some form of nationalism people feel they can justify. Which is bullshit. If anyone wants to preserve the ‘American way’ they need to look at how there is no static composition and furthermore it has been based off the added qualities of differing immigrants since the beginning.” When Foggy had stopped, he saw Matt was smiling at him. In a way in which looked utterly charmed, it caught off Foggy off guard. It was different than the other smiles Matt had shown him, but it was hard to point out why. It just seemed very.. Charmed. He could even see slight crows feet peeking out from the black sunglasses. “Sorry, am I rambling?”

 

“No, no, well, maybe a little. But I like your voice.”

 

And if Foggy flushed, he was just happy Matt couldn’t see it. “It’s probably time to go, we’re one of the last few people in here.” Maybe Foggy was tricking himself, but it seemed Matt’s smile dampened a bit, not enough to completely be erased from his face but a weakened distorted version. “We should do this again sometime though. I mean if you’d want to. The club is always open to you. Well, not you especially, like to everyone y’know.” Foggy himself offered a small smile and a shrug as he stood up. Of course Matt couldn’t see that, but it seemed to get the desired effect of making Matt look less distressed even if it was amusement at Foggy’s tied tongue.

 

“I’d like that a lot, Foggy,” Matt stood up and dusted off imaginary lint off his sweatpants. “I can give you my number to text me about these things. Plus we can study for Urban Politics.”

 

“Do you live nearby?”

 

“Relatively, a little less than a mile away. Why?”

 

“Could I walk you home?” 

 

“If it’s in your direction.” Matt listed an address, it was not in Foggy’s direction. Foggy lied straight through his teeth, and he could justify it by who let’s a blind guy walk in the city at night. Hell, Foggy could see and had still been mugged three times in the past two years (not that his wallet actually had any value). But he lied and offered an arm out.

 

It was cold when they finally got out of the building. Like New York nights tend to be but with neon glowing and buildings hovering over them. Matt immediately got goosebumps when the air him them, and Foggy noticed right away. Foggy stopped them and said, “one second,” before he took his coat off. It was a long brown thing, bought from a second hand store, it had string popping out and the pockets were filled to the brim.    
  
“Matt, you’re a New Yorker for God’s sake, you have to dress better,” He said it in such a mother hen’s voice, soaked with too much endearment for someone he only really knew for half a day. Matt opened his mouth, about to make an excuse or justify or whatever before Foggy caught him off, “I’m gonna give you my coat, okay? And I won’t take no for an answer.”

 

“What? Foggy, no, I’m fine. Like you said I’m a New Yorker, I’m used to the cold,” but as he spoke his cheeks got red, which was damn adorable. It was hard to tell if it was emotion based or due to the weather. Foggy just shook his head, all the while tsking. 

 

“You’re gonna get sick. Plus I’m dressed warmer than you, and it’s only a mile. Please, Matt, do this one thing for me?” And if he hammed up the pout in his voice, Foggy would deny it. 

 

“I- you make a very compelling case. Okay, but I’m giving it back the second we get to my building. Do you accept these terms?”   
  


“Sure, whatever, as long as you’re not a popsicle.” He placed the coat over Matt’s shoulder. Matt had broader shoulders, but he was also slimmer. The coat hung in away it never did on Foggy, a little tight on his shoulders but loose everywhere else. And Matt seemed to sniff it? Foggy didn’t want to ask, what if his coat had terrible BO and he had never noticed in.

 

“Thanks, I’ll have to make it up to you.” Matt carefully wrapped it around himself, the sleeves a bit short on him, but that made sense. He put his hand back on the crook of Foggy’s elbow.   
  


“No you don’t. It’s no skin off my back. Plus you wear it better than I ever did. Give it a very modern chic vibe.”  They walked in a somewhat comfortable silence, as comfortable as it could get. After probably a minute or two, Matt spoke.

 

“So what do you wanna do after college?”

 

“Keep going to school and hopefully become a Professor somewhere respectable. Help mold the minds of the young, write historical analysis, do something I like. What about you, huh?”

 

“I’m going to become a defense attorney.”

 

“There’s good money in defense.” Foggy said through a hum.

 

“I’m not in it for the money. I want to help people. The justice system, it’s so fucked up. I mean people are being wrongfully jailed and it’s because the defense lawyers they have just don’t care. I believe are justice system can be good- I do. But it needs internal help.”

 

“Very noble of you,” Matt hadn’t sound annoyed or defensive but still Foggy wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. But also his heart melted at Matt’s explanation, what an optimist, he didn’t even seem to consider he could fail at it. He seemed to have no fear at all, and Foggy believed in him when he spoke. 

 

“I try.” It was a wry response, it didn’t feel like tension but there’s had been a shift in the tone.   
  
“It’s more than most people. And not to get too serious, but I think you’re going to be a great lawyer Matt. Because you care. Which is hard to do because there’s so much bad, and it gets so exhausting, but when I look at you, I see that you’re not fatigued at all. That the shit in this world only feeds the fire in you. So, yeah, like I said, very noble of you.”

 

“I think that’s probably the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.”   
  


“I doubt that. You’re a pretty popular guy.” Matt snorted at this and ducked his head, a mixture of disbelief and bashfulness. 

 

“People want me as a token. Or for their advantage. They want me to tutor them or hang on their arm so people see how ‘woke’ they are. Everyone wants to focus on the physical attributes. It’s all superficial. They treat me like glass when they don’t know me, but then like a party trick when they do. They think I don’t know it stems from pity.”

 

“That sounds pretty lonely.”

 

“It can be.”   
  


“I’m not trying to use you. I mean I don’t think I am, maybe on some subconscious level, but I’ll try my hardest not to. Just tell me if it feels like it, and I’ll evaluate and fix it.”

 

“You know, there has been no time tonight where I feel like you haven’t been genuine. I think you’re one of the good ones.” 

 

They spoke, more lightheartedly until they got to his apartment building. It was nicer than Foggy expected for a college kid. Matt slid out of the coat and handed it back to him. He offered a smile and made Foggy promise to text him when he got home.

 

_ 9:14 PM _

_ Don’t worry, I’m home. _

_ 9:14 PM _

_ This is Foggy by the way. _

 

**_9:17 PM_ **

**_That took a while_ **

 

_ 9:19 PM _

_ I had to stop and grab a few things, hope I didn’t stress you out _

 

**_9:23 PM_ **

**_I was four minutes away from calling the cops_ **

 

_ 9:24 PM _

_ Joke? _

 

**_9:24 PM_ **

**_Joke_ **

 

_ 9:30 PM _

_ Haha I figured but it’s hard to tell tone over text sometimes _

 

**_9:36 PM_ **

**_What kind of cologne do you use?_ **

 

_ 9:37 PM _

_ I don’t? Why _

_ 9:37 PM _

_ Pls tell me my jacket didn’t smell so bad that you’re making sure to never buy my hypothetical cologne _

 

**_9:40 PM_ **

**_No, I liked the smell. I thought I’d get you a new bottle as thanks_ **

 

_ 9:43 PM _

_ Nah, that’s au naturale Foggy Nelson, buddy _

_ 9:43 PM _

_ And you don’t need to give me anything as thanks. It’s what friends do. _

 

**_9:45 PM_ **

**_I could feel you shivering_ **

 

_ 9:50 PM _

_ Maybe I was trying the whole being noble thing _

 

**_9:51 PM_ **

**_And what’d you think?_ **

 

_ 9:52 PM _

_ I think I’d do it again _

 

 

**_10:09 PM_ **

**_Did you want to kiss me?_ **

 

_ 10:23 PM _

_ I don’t think you can just ask people like that _

_ 10:23 PM _

_ But yes _

_ 10:24 PM _

_ BUT we can pretend that I didn’t. I think you’re really cool _

_ 10:26 PM _

_ And I’d like to be your friend. You seem really passionate and nice and thoughtful and I’ve never really met anyone like you who seems to be doing good things because morals  _

_ 10:27 PM _

_ This is going to give me a heart attack if you don’t respond sooner rather than later _

 

**_10:28 PM_ **

**_Well, we wouldn’t want that_ **

**_10:28 PM_ **

**_Especially because I wanted to too_ **

**_10:29 PM_ **

**_Foggy, I was flirting  with you the whole night_ **

 

_ 10:29 PM _

_ I’m sorry----- you were what???????????? _

_ 10:30 PM _

_ You hardly know me _

 

**_10:32 PM_ **

**_Are you trying to dissuade me?_ **

 

_ 10:33 PM _

_ No _

_ 10:33 PM _

_ Not at all _

_ 10:34 PM _

_ I;m just a fucking idiot apparently  _

 

**_10:35 PM_ **

**_Are you free Saturday? We could grab dinner and have an actual date_ **

 

_ 10:37 PM _

_ Not to sound self deprecating but are you sure?  _

 

**_10:39 PM_ **

**_I think you might be the one out of my league_ **

**_10:40 PM_ **

**_You’re kind of incredible if you didn’t know_ **

 

_ 10:43 PM _

_ I don’t know how I’m supposed to reply _

 

**_10:45 PM_ **

**_You do seem to get pretty tongue tied around me_ **

**_10:47 PM_ **

**_All you have to say is if you wanna go on a date or not, we can work the rest out from there_ **

**_10:48 PM_ **

**_Don’t feel pressured either way, I’ll be your friend even if you say no. It’s about what you want._ **

 

_ 10:51 PM _

_ Jesus, Matt _

_ 10:51 PM _

_ Yes _

_ 10:52 PM _

_ I want to go on a date with you. _

_ 10:53 PM _

_ I’m free Saturday after 4 and I know a great Italian joint near where you live? If you like Italian _

 

**_10:55 PM_ **

**_I’d like that a lot_ **

  
  



End file.
